The Center for Publishing & Editing

student pulling book from bookshelf

Edit a magazine. Publish a poetry chapbook. Create letterpress greeting cards. Write a front-page investigative newspaper feature.

Through the Center for Publishing & Editing at Millikin University, you can do all of this and more.

The Center for Publishing & Editing prepares students for careers in the publishing industry and gives them the experience needed for graduate studies in publishing, journalism, rhetoric and composition, technical communication, digital media, creative writing, and more. 

Our courses immerse students in the histories and technologies of printing, ranging from letterpress to prepress software and digital production. Students also learn about subjects relevant to the field, including freelance writing, book and magazine editing, web publishing, journalism, technical writing and editing, scholarly publishing, and more.

Many students interested in this coursework choose to complete our Publishing & Editing Minor, perform editorial work for university and community clients, and complete internships.

The Center for Publishing & Editing

Shilling Hall 211E

Phone: 217.424.6250

Email: Dr. Julie Bates, jcbates@millikin.edu

Find us on Facebook and Twitter. And check out our blog and Editing Minute podcast too.

    Student Involvement

    The Center for Publishing & Editing offers students a variety of ways to get involved with publishing and editing projects. Most publishing and editing courses include Performance Learning opportunities. Additionally, from their first semester on campus, students can get involved with student-run publications and businesses. 

    Student-Run Publications

    BURST

    The newest student-run publication on campus, BURST magazine is produced each year with the goal of getting readers to think about how the world outside of Millikin affects what students do on campus and how students affect the world beyond the university. Each issue of BURST has its own focus, or theme, that guides all of the content in each issue. Students are responsible for all aspects of producing the magazine, including developing and assigning story ideas, writing, editing, designing, taking photographs, preparing the publication for printing, marketing, and selling advertisements. To learn more about BURST, contact the adviser, Dr. Julie Bates.

    Collage

    Collage, Millikin's literary and fine arts magazine, is published by students who are responsible for selecting the best fiction, poetry, drama, and essays. Students also copy edit and design each issue. All Millikin students are invited to submit writing and artwork and work on the staff of Collage. Submit your work with your name and title of the work on a separate sheet of paper. For more information, contact Dr. Stephen Frech.

    The Decaturian

    The Decaturian is a biweekly student newspaper published during the academic year. The paper is written, edited, and managed by students. Each issue reaches about 2,500 readers and is a primary source of news on campus. Students get credit for writing and working as a staff member for The Decaturian through EN120, Journalism Workshop. Students with questions or who want to get involved in The Decaturianshould contact the newspaper adviser, Dr. Scott Lambert.

    Student-Run Businesses

    Blue Satellite Press

    Blue Satellite Press is a letterpress poetry broadside company publishing leading contemporary poets in museum-quality prints. Students solicit previously unpublished work from contemporary poets, and then design a broadside that showcases what they admire in the poem. Students learn the aspects of design and print production that letterpress printing encourages and participate in all roles necessary for maintaining and operating a commercial printing press. A key component of this learning laboratory is letterpress printing, an antique print process with movable type. While letterpress printing has largely been phased out of commercial use, knowledge of its mechanics and the vocabulary of its tools and methods are at the core of most contemporary commercial printing processes. To learn more about Blue Satellite Press, contact the adviser, Dr. Stephen Frech.

    Sting & Honey Press

    Sting & Honey Press is a chapbook publishing company created and run by Millikin students. For more information, contact the adviser, Dr. Stephen Frech.

    Performance Learning Opportunities

    Many publishing and editing courses at Millikin University include Performance Learning components, through which students work with clients from the university or the community to complete projects. Some recent examples of Performance Learning opportunities include:

    • Designing and publishing websites for clients in EN305: Web Publishing. Examples include the Center for Publishing & Editing website and the Writing About Literature Casebooks created in conjunction with Dr. Tony Magagna's Writing  About Literature course.
    • Writing, editing, and designing a variety of customized materials for community partners including Paw Print Ministries, Girl Scouts, Planned Parenthood/Generation Action, Big Blue Food Pantry, and more in EN300: Community Engagement Writing.
    • Pitching, writing, and revising magazine articles that are published in BURST magazine and other publications in EN306: Freelance Writing.
    • Editing Decatur Magazine, BURST magazine, cookbooks, and more for clients in EN307: Professional Editing.
    • Writing in-depth investigative articles that are published in The Decaturian in EN319: Investigative Reporting.